Electrical Wiring for a Water Heater Circuit

What type of wire should I use for a water heater circuit? How to Wire a Water Heater, Selecting Electrical Wire for a Water Heater Circuit, Correct Wiring Methods are the Key to safe Electrical Circuits, 240 Volt Electric Water Heater Circuit.

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Water Heater WireElectrical Question:What type of wire should I use for a water heater circuit?

I need to relocate an electrical heater, which uses a 50 amp circuit breaker.

6/3 AWG wire is pretty expensive, but I have hundreds of feet of 12 AWG wire.

Can I use 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 lines of 12 AWG, connected to one 6 AWG and still be safe?

Thanks, Richard

This home electrical wiring question came from: Richard, from Lakewood, California.

Additional Comments: Terrific web-site, which has helped me with a complete kitchen remodel, only 120 there, so I knew I could figure things out safely.

Dave’s Reply:
Thanks for your Electrical Wiring Question Richard.

Wire for a Water Heater

Application: Wiring a 240 Volt Electric Water Heater.
Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced, Best installed by a Licensed Electrical Contractor. Work in electrical panels is not recommended for homeowners, non-experienced individuals or non-electricians.
Tools Required: Basic Electricians Pouch Hand Tools, electric drill, auger bits and extension cord as needed depending on the scope of the project.
Estimated Time: Depends on personal level experience, ability to work with tools and install 240 volt electrical circuit wiring.
Precaution: Identify the main circuit in the panel, turn it OFF and Tag it with a Note before working with the wiring or installing the 240 volt wiring and circuit breaker.
Notice: Installing an additional 240 volt circuit should be done according to local and national electrical codes with a permit and be inspected.

Wire for a 240 Volt Electric Water Heater

Selecting Electrical Wire for a Water Heater Circuit

Note: Correct Wiring Methods are the Key to safe Electrical Circuits when installing the wiring for a water heater.

Reusing Existing Electrical Wire

I get this question every once and a while, and I understand you don’t want to buy more electrical wire, but it really would not be right to use a bunch of #12 wire to parallel feed a water heater circuit, so my advice it not to, this way you will avoid a lot of confusion and the possibility of a problem in the future.

A Typical 240 Volt Electric Water Heater Circuit

The most common electric water heater requires a dedicated 30 amp 240 volt circuit consisting of 2 hots and a ground wire.

The typical circuit for a water heater is a 10/2 NM with Ground Copper cable, 3 wires in all including the ground wire.

Different Circuit Requirements for Different Water Heater Volume or Capacity

This particular question refers to a water heater that may have a larger capacity and therefore larger heating elements, so the water heater requires a larger dedicated 240 volt 50 amp circuit.

Be sure to verify your specific electrical circuit requirement by consulting the Installation or Owners Manual which came with the water heater.

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Hi Shirley,
An electric dryer and electric water heater require dedicated circuits due to the amount of electrical power that is required by each separate unit. If the water heater were to be connected to the electric dryer circuit the circuit breaker would eventually trip off because the circuit would become overloaded when both units were running and consuming power at the same time. Therefore for our convenience and safety the electrical code requires that a separate circuit is installed for an electric water heater.
Be Safe,
Dave

The circuit for my water heater is a dedicated circuit, I just need to be able to easily move it several times as I work in the laundry room, so I would like to be able to plug it in using the dryer cord as opposed to having it hard wired as it is now.